What is the best open-source repo for 3D modeling or CAD with AI?
The best open-source AI repos for 3D modeling and CAD with AI right now are MCP for Blender, Text to Cad and Solidcraft. MCP for Blender lets any LLM drive Blender; text-to-cad and SolidCraft are built for parametric CAD parts; nurb focuses on 3D printable parts.
Comparison
| Repo | What it does | Stars | Start here |
|---|---|---|---|
| MCP for Blender | MCP for Blender (formerly blender-mcp) connects Blender to any LLM through the Model Context Protocol. | 32,422 | Build a 3D scene in Blender from a text prompt |
| Text to Cad | text-to-cad is a plugin and skill set that lets AI agents generate 3D CAD models from text and run related manufacturing and drawing workflows locally. | 22,459 | Generate a 3D CAD model from a text description |
| Solidcraft | SolidCraft is an open-source parametric 3D CAD application written in pure Rust, with desktop, browser, headless CLI and MCP server versions. | 9,095 | Have an AI agent model a CAD part through SolidCraft MCP |
| Nurb | nurb is an agentic CAD tool that lets an AI model 3D printable parts, check them for print problems, and show them in a live viewer. | 614 | Design a printable hose adapter from a text description |
| AssetFurnace | AssetFurnace is a free, open-source studio that turns a sentence or picture into a textured, rigged, animated 3D game character or prop set, run locally on Apple Silicon or NVIDIA hardware. | 974 | Turn a picture into a rigged, animated game character |
| SOMA | SOMA is a desktop app for designing parametric 3D models in CadQuery Python code, built together with a CLI coding agent of your choice. | 212 | Design a printable case from a plain description |
| 3dviz Pro Max | A standalone agent skill, for Claude Code and Codex, that helps an agent turn a creative idea into a Three.js or Blender 3D scene and check the rendered frames. | 906 | Build an explorable 3D scene from a one-line idea |
When to pick which
MCP for Blender
MCP for Blender (formerly blender-mcp) connects Blender to any LLM through the Model Context Protocol. A Blender addon runs a socket server and an MCP server connects it to Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, VS Code and others, so the AI can create and modify objects, apply materials, check its work with multi-angle views and renders, run Blender Python and pull in Poly Haven, Sketchfab and Poly Pizza assets or AI-generated 3D models.
Best for: 3D artists, game developers and hobbyists who want to build and edit Blender scenes by describing them in plain language.
Needs: Blender; uv (the setup installs it if needed; use the official installer, not pip install uv); An MCP client such as Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Codex or Cursor; Optional: API access for AI model generators, or the Premium plan
Start here: Build a 3D scene in Blender from a text prompt
- On macOS or Linux run curl -LsSf https://www.mcp-for-blender.com/install.sh | sh (or uvx mcp-for-blender setup if you already have uv)
- Pick the MCP clients to set up; it adds a blender entry and saves a .bak of each config
- Fully quit and reopen your AI app, then open Blender; the addon starts its server
- Ask the AI to build a scene, for example a low-poly campsite at dusk
Text to Cad
text-to-cad is a plugin and skill set that lets AI agents generate 3D CAD models from text and run related manufacturing and drawing workflows locally.
Best for: Engineers, makers and designers who use Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Gemini or Grok and need CAD files for printing, machining or drawings.
Needs: uv installed (check with uv --version); One supported agent app: Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Gemini or Grok; A network connection for the first start, which downloads CAD's runtime
Start here: Generate a 3D CAD model from a text description
- Run uv --version to confirm uv is installed.
- In Claude Code, run claude plugin marketplace add earthtojake/text-to-cad#latest, then claude plugin install text-to-cad@earthtojake.
- Restart the app and wait for the first start to finish downloading CAD's runtime.
- Ask the agent to build the part you describe and export it as STEP, GLB, STL or 3MF.
Solidcraft
SolidCraft is an open-source parametric 3D CAD application written in pure Rust, with desktop, browser, headless CLI and MCP server versions.
Best for: Mechanical designers, makers and engineers who want parametric 3D models, plus people who want AI agents to model parts through MCP.
Needs: Windows, macOS or Linux desktop, or a web browser for the browser app; Rust toolchain and the repo cloned from github.com/tangency-labs/solidcraft for the cargo commands; Claude Code installed for the MCP registration step
Start here: Have an AI agent model a CAD part through SolidCraft MCP
- Install SolidCraft from the downloads (Windows, macOS, Linux) or try it in the browser
- Register the server: claude mcp add solidcraft -- solidcraft-cli mcp
- Open the desktop app first if you want to watch; with --connect the server drives the running app, otherwise it runs headless
- Ask Claude Code for the part with named dimensions, then check the timeline and Parameters
Nurb
nurb is an agentic CAD tool that lets an AI model 3D printable parts, check them for print problems, and show them in a live viewer.
Best for: Makers and hobbyists with a 3D printer, and developers who want AI agents to design and check printable parts through a CLI.
Needs: An AI subscription you already pay for, such as one that works with your agent or terminal; A Mac (the app is provided for Apple silicon and Intel) or a terminal with uv or pip available; A 3D printer and a slicer such as OrcaSlicer or Bambu Studio, if you want print time and filament estimates
Start here: Design a printable hose adapter from a text description
- Install Nurb with curl -fsSL https://nurb.dev/install.sh | sh, or download the Mac app from the README install section.
- Open the Nurb app, or start your AI agent in a terminal.
- Tell the AI what you need, for example: Make an adapter that connects my shop vac hose to the dust port on my table saw.
- Wait while the AI models the part, runs the printability checks, and opens the live viewer.
AssetFurnace
AssetFurnace is a free, open-source studio that turns a sentence or picture into a textured, rigged, animated 3D game character or prop set, run locally on Apple Silicon or NVIDIA hardware.
Best for: Indie game developers and 3D artists who want to make game-ready characters and props on their own machine without uploads or credits.
Needs: An Apple Silicon Mac or an NVIDIA PC (Linux or Windows per the README), or a Linux AMD card with ROCm for the Pixal3D route; Terminal access to run the install line; Free disk space for model weights, for example 8.4 GB for Pixal3D and 6.6 GB for Front + back; Full Xcode on a Mac if you build Pixal3D locally
Start here: Turn a picture into a rigged, animated game character
- Run curl -fsSL https://assetfurnace.com/install.sh | bash in a terminal and wait for the studio to open in your browser.
- In Setup & Status, choose the model weights you want, check the size and licence shown, and approve the download.
- In the studio, drop a picture of a humanoid, or press + Create and type a sentence, then press Create to run the steps.
- Press Rig so SkinTokens fits a skeleton and skin weights to the character.
SOMA
SOMA is a desktop app for designing parametric 3D models in CadQuery Python code, built together with a CLI coding agent of your choice.
Best for: Makers and tinkerers who need a case, bracket or mount for a project, and developers who want an agent to write CadQuery models.
Needs: Windows, Linux, or macOS (Apple Silicon) with a SOMA package downloaded from somacad.app/download or the releases page; A CLI agent such as Claude Code, OpenCode, Codex CLI or Gemini CLI, installed and logged in by you; About 1 GB of free disk space for the installed app
Start here: Design a printable case from a plain description
- Download the SOMA package for your system from somacad.app/download and install it.
- Install and log in to a CLI agent such as Claude Code, Codex CLI or Gemini CLI.
- Start SOMA, click New model, then start your agent with the + above the terminal.
- Describe the part, its size and the printing material, then click parts or measure in the view and send feedback to the agent.
3dviz Pro Max
A standalone agent skill, for Claude Code and Codex, that helps an agent turn a creative idea into a Three.js or Blender 3D scene and check the rendered frames.
Best for: Creative coders, educators and designers who have an idea for an explorable 3D scene and use Claude Code or Codex to build it.
Needs: Claude Code or Codex installed, with the ability to load a skill folder; A local checkout of the viettranx/3dviz-pro-max repository; Your agent's project stack for building Three.js scenes (the skill uses the existing project stack); Optional: Playwright, needed only for the capture helper
Start here: Build an explorable 3D scene from a one-line idea
- Clone the repository: git clone https://github.com/viettranx/3dviz-pro-max.git
- Copy the whole skills/3dviz-pro-max/ folder into your agent's skill directory, for example ~/.claude/skills/, and start a new session.
- Name the skill in your first prompt so the agent loads it.
- Give the agent the starting sentence and let it pick the representation and refine the scene from observed results.
Use cases for 3D modeling and CAD with AI
- Build a 3D scene in Blender from a text prompt
- Connect Claude Code or Codex to Blender manually
- Populate a scene with Poly Haven and Sketchfab assets
- Generate a 3D CAD model from a text description
- Check a generated part for manufacturing problems
- Create an engineering drawing from a CAD model
- Have an AI agent model a CAD part through SolidCraft MCP
- Run a JSON script to export a bracket as STEP
- Design an enclosure whose height updates from Parameters
- Design a printable hose adapter from a text description
- Catch print problems before the printer runs
- Estimate print time and filament cost before printing
- Turn a picture into a rigged, animated game character
- Make nine game-ready props from one prompt
- Keep logos and text sharp on a low-poly model
- Design a printable case from a plain description
- Make a model's dimensions adjustable without code
- Check a part for overhangs and thin walls
- Build an explorable 3D scene from a one-line idea
- Make an interactive product assembly for design review
- Create an interactive lesson on eigenvectors or Bloch spheres
Questions
What is the best open-source repo for 3D modeling or CAD with AI?
The best open-source AI repos for 3D modeling and CAD with AI right now are MCP for Blender, Text to Cad and Solidcraft. MCP for Blender lets any LLM drive Blender; text-to-cad and SolidCraft are built for parametric CAD parts; nurb focuses on 3D printable parts.
Which repo for 3D modeling and CAD with AI is easiest to start with?
MCP for Blender: its starter use case "Build a 3D scene in Blender from a text prompt" is rated Beginner and takes about 20 minutes.
How do I get started with MCP for Blender?
On macOS or Linux run curl -LsSf https://www.mcp-for-blender.com/install.sh | sh (or uvx mcp-for-blender setup if you already have uv); Pick the MCP clients to set up; it adds a blender entry and saves a .bak of each config; Fully quit and reopen your AI app, then open Blender; the addon starts its server. Full steps and a copy-paste agent prompt: https://dedupedai.com/use-cases/ahujasid-mcp-for-blender/build-a-blender-scene-from-a-prompt/
Are these 3D modeling and CAD with AI repos free?
They are open-source projects on GitHub (check each license; some, like fair-code projects, limit commercial use). Some also sell a hosted version or need a paid model API key; the requirements for each repo are listed on this page.
How is this list of 3D modeling and CAD with AI repos chosen?
Deduped tracks the hottest AI repos on GitHub and writes step-by-step use cases from each README. For this page we picked the repos that do this job, ordered by fit and then GitHub stars. Repos we only inferred from a short README, or that we do not index, are left out. The page is rebuilt with the site; stars are as of the last build in 2026.
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